The suspect accused of shooting a Jewish man on his way to synagogue at Chicago in October is dead after an apparent suicide in his jail cell.
Sidi Mohammad Abdallahi, who entered America illegally in 2023, was facing hate crime, terrorism, and attempted murder charges after police identified him as the suspect in the shooting.
Officials at the Cook County Jail were conducting a wellness check around 3:30 p.m. on Saturday when they found Abdallahi unresponsive in his jail cell after an apparent suicide by hanging, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. He was transported to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The sheriff’s office says there is “no evidence of foul play at this time,” and the “cause and manner of death are pending autopsy by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.” Law enforcement officials also say there was no “indication that he was at risk of suicide prior to the incident.”
Abdallahi was facing charges of attempted murder, aggregative discharge of a firearm at a peace officer or a fireman, and aggravated discharge of a firearm. Police accused him of shooting a 39-year-old Jewish man, who was on his way to a synagogue service, in the shoulder.
Nearly 20 minutes after officers arrived at the scene, police say, the gunman emerged from an alley and shot at officers and paramedics over a two-and-a-half-minute period. No officers or paramedics were injured during the exchange. Officers returned fire and struck the gunman, who was treated at a hospital. The victim was also taken to a hospital for treatment and released on the same day.
Officials initially declined to bring hate crime or terrorism in the incident. However, Jewish members of the community were on edge after the shooting over concerns the victim was targeted because of his religion.
The Jewish United Front said law enforcement told the group the suspect shouted “Allahu Akbar” while firing at police, which law enforcement officials did not confirm as of Monday.
In a press release, the JUF expressed “faith in law enforcement to thoroughly investigate the attack and to provide security in partnership with our own community security and safety assets, always, but especially now, but in a way that doesn’t heighten anxiety.”
Police later charged Abdallahi with a felony count of terrorism and a felony count of a hate crime.
Immigration officials told multiple news outlets that Abdallahi, a Mauritanian national, was apprehended after illegally crossing the southern border in March 2023 and released. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said it submitted a detainer request to take Abdallahi into custody if he was released from the Cook County Jail.